Fact check: The truth about wolf packs?

Do the oldest and weakest wolves really lead a pack?

On Facebook you regularly see the photograph of a pack of wolves. The wolves seem to walk in single file through the snow.

The description reads:

“A wolf pack: the first 3 are the old or sick, they give the pace to the entire pack. If it was the other way round, they would be left behind, losing contact with the pack. In case of an ambush they would be sacrificed. Then come 5 strong ones, the front line. In the center are the rest of the pack members, then the 5 strongest following. Last is alone, the alpha. He controls everything from the rear. In that position he can see everything, decide the direction. He sees all of the pack. The pack moves according to the elders pace and help each other, watch each other.”

Is that true?

The claim isn’t new. The picture is originally from the Guardian. In 2011 the photo had a whole different description:

A massive pack of 25 timberwolves hunting bison on the Arctic circle in northern Canada. In mid-winter in Wood Buffalo National Park temperatures hover around -40C. The wolf pack, led by the alpha female, travel single-file through the deep snow to save energy. The size of the pack is a sign of how rich their prey base is during winter when the bison are more restricted by poor feeding and deep snow. The wolf packs in this National Park are the only wolves in the world that specialise in hunting bison ten times their size. They have grown to be the largest and most powerful wolves on earth.

Photograph: Chadden Hunter/BBC NHU

Well, that’s exactly the opposite of the first claim from Facebook!

Yes, this is a relatively “harmless” claim. But using pictures in a whole different context and claiming something different is shown there could be very dangerous. As you can see, you have to be very careful about what you can believe. Even if a friend of yours has shared that content.